2JO 



NOTES— ORNITHOLOGY. 



Birds and De-abdominated Insects. — Birds will occasionally de- 

 abdominate insects, though not, I think, in the number nor of the kind 

 described in the interesting- joint note on this subject. I have watched 

 a Great Titmouse [Paras major) catch a Bumble Bee, in the late summer 

 when these insects .are sluggish, carry it to a bough, pick it clean, head and 

 abdomen, and leave the shell below. I have been told of Blue Titmice 

 (Pants cceruleus) doing this wholesale to Bumble Bees in a lime tree ; and 

 I have found a number of de-abdominated bees below a flowering lime tree 

 in cold and stormy weather, which I believe to have been picked by Titmice. 

 On 28th June I found Dor Beetles (Geotrupes spp.) on the fells that had been 

 de-abdominated, and ascribed the work to Black-headed Gulls (Lams 

 ridibundus), of which there were numbers about. The Bracken-clock 

 Beetle (Phyllopertha horticola) was just then abroad, over meadow and fell 

 alike, in countless thousands, and it seems probable that this beetle is the 

 main factor in drawing such swarms of Gulls to us at this particular time. 

 But if so, the Gull swallows it whole ; and I have found remains of similar 

 beetles, mixed with small sea shells, in the castings about the nests of the 

 Black-headed Gull at Ravenglass. Even the small Spotted Flycatcher 

 (Muscicapa grisola), that loves to catch a Butterfly — (Lesser Tortoiseshell, 

 Vanessa urticce) certainly and I think Red Admiral ( V. atalanta) — if this be 

 young or broken-winged, will swallow its large victim whole. It is odd 

 that Bumble Bees, in a numb or dying state, are preyed upon even by 

 Wasps. I have found numbers below a flowering lime tree in cold weather, 

 neatly decapitated, while a wasp carried away something large, and another 

 moved round, looking apparently for yet whole bees. — Mary L. Armitt, 

 Rydal, 3rd August 1900. 



Thrush-Stones and Spotted Flycatcher.— On the nth of August 

 1892 I was standing looking out of the window of the oak-panelled room at 

 The Hall, Messingham (Div. 2), North-west Lincolnshire. A pair of Fly- 

 catchers (Muscicapa grisola L. ) attracted my attention by the frequency of 

 their journeys to one particular spot on a flower border. The post of 

 observation that the birds occupied was the dead bough of a mulberry tree. 

 I watched the birds for at least a quarter-of-an-hour but never noticed them 

 make for any other spot than the one on the border hard by. When 

 my host left me for a short time I went out to inspect the spot and see what 

 was attracting their prey to that particular place. I was not long in doubt 

 as to what caused the flies to gather to this spot. On the flower bed was 

 a stone about the size of an egg. This was literally besmeared all over 

 w T ith snail slime and bruised portions of snails. The shells of the Granny- 

 snail [Helix aspersa) and the Big Bandy-snail (Helix nemoralis) were to be 

 seen in numbers. This stone must have been the execution-block on which 

 the Thrush had slain at least fifty snails. The flies were attracted by both 

 the shells and mucus-besprinkled stone. The ordinary bluebottle and 

 several other kinds of flies were busy making a meal off what the bird or 

 birds had left. I noticed this fact again this year at Bottesford Manor 

 (Div. 2), North-west Lincolnshire, and again, curiously enough, the tree on 

 which the birds perched to reconnoitre the surrounding garden was a mul- 

 berry. Several of these trees were planted in this district about eighty 

 years ago. The birds at Bottesford frequent this spot early and late, 

 making a journey to the stone every few minutes when not engaged in 

 building- their nest, which is situated amongst the creepers that grow over 

 the rustic porch. As I stood one evening watching the Flycatchers at 

 work building I noticed that three Midy-creeks (Land-Rails — Crex crex) were 

 calling in the adjacent meadows, and that I could also hear the cooing of 

 Turtle-Dove (Ttirtur furfur), Ring-Dove (Columba palumbus), and Sand- 

 Dove (Columba sp.?), all at one and the same time. Land-Rails were g-etting 

 scarce hereabouts a few years ago. so I was pleased to note that we had 

 three pairs in such near proximity. — Max Peacock. The Manor, Bottesford, 

 Lincolnshire, 10th July 1900. 



Naturalist, 



